Voices of the Faithful Book 2

Voices of the Faithful is 1 year daily devotional. The book presented by the International Mission Board is a compilation of devotionals written by missionaries around the world. The topic of the devotionals changes from month to month with a brief monthly introduction by  Kim P Davis. The book provides a good insight into the daily lives of  missionaries in the field. The book also provides a daily opportunity to pray for missionaries and the people that they are serving. Overall, I thought the book was a good resource. As the topic changed from month to month, I found that certain months in the book were far more enjoyable than others. I also enjoyed the great amount of Scripture used in the book. But as in any case with this many different writers, I felt many of the passages used were misused by the writer for that day. With that being said, I still believe that God can use a book like this to put a passion for missions into the heart of the reader.

The American Patriot’s Bible

I received The American Patriot’s Bible some time back to review. I have taken awhile to write this review because I was a little uncertain how I felt about it. What this bible consists of is basically a standard NKJV bible with sections added pertaining to how the Bible and Christianity contribute to our nations history. Being a person who enjoys both history and the Bible, I highly enjoyed both areas. The problem for me from the beginning was that is doesn’t feel like the two belong in the same book. It feels like it should be 2 separate books. I understand what the goal was, but the American history section adds nothing to the Bible. In fact, I believe it takes away from the Bible a little bit. As far as the quality of the production goes it is excellent. This Bible is easy to read, and is beautiful to look at. This is one of those literary pieces you lay out for everyone to see. From the vivid colors, to the nice layout, to the great pictures this Bible is great to look at. My only wish is that the two elements would not have been put together. They would be much better as stand alone books.

Real Men Needed In Church

I have been dormant for awhile. I have been sitting back observing the Christian landscape. I feel it may be time for me to start talking again.  My observations have led me to believe the church is in dire need of a dose of male leadership. Men in the church appear to be weak and unwilling to lead, even in their own households. I have seen some disturbing examples.

First is the consumption of material that is potentially harmful. The best example is the widespread popularity in churches of a book called The Shack. Men are sitting and watching as their wives and children read this book. As spiritual leaders of the household, men should be monitoring the spiritual intake of their families. Men have neglected the responsibility placed on them by God to lead in this area. The Shack is a book filled with heresy, and Christians have become so poor at discernment that they have no idea it is bad.

The other thing that I have noticed is the trend towards what I call Christian buffet. It is where a family attends this church for this program, and another church for a different program or ministry. We have lost the unity of the church that we are called to. Even leaders in the church send their children to other churches for programs.

Ephesians 4:1-16 – I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” 9 Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

The church is to be unified through it’s gifts and diversity. Men today have failed to lead in this area. As a result we have lost the bond of the local church. We are called to be a part of one local fellowship. We destroy the bond of unity when are not devoted to our local congregation. I have heard the well all their friends go to a different church excuse. Is our ultimate goal that our children get to be with their friends for an extra hour each week? Or is it in the training up of our children, and the building up of your local church? This practice definitely breeds discouragement in the leaders working in the ministry that suffers as a result. We definitely live in a please me world today, and it has infected the church. As a result people are being tossed around by every wave and fad that comes through.

It is time for some men to stand up and be willing to fight for the spiritual maturity of their families, and for the building up of their local church. I will continue to struggle, even if all the other men scatter like dust. Sacrifice we must, just as Christ did for us.

Some Honesty Regarding Clark Logan Please

As a relatively new Southern Baptist, I have watched intently the events surrounding the resignation of Clark Logan. I don’t understand the lack of transparency and honesty displayed by the President of the Executive Committee Morris Chapman. By failing to be transparent and fully honest, it creates rumors and division. The rumors are already flying that this is about Calvinism. I really hope that there is more to the story than that. I have never really understood the great anger some show against Calvinism. The reasons I have heard just really don’t seem to carry any weight. I have heard of the animosity held towards Southern and it’s leaders for being the ” bastion of Calvinism “. I know of SBTS students whose first question during an interview is ” So you went to Southern, are you a Calvinist? “. And unfortunately if answered in the affirmative, it is the only question they get. It appears from the cheap seats as if a divide is forming on this issue.  If is is true that the issue of Calvinism played a major part in Logan’s resignation, I only see the divide growing. It is time for Mr. Chapman to put the rumors to rest by being open and honest. Unfortunately it appears as if church politics is at work. Where it becomes what is best for the people who think like me, instead of  where decisions are based on the interest of the whole denomination. Best wishes and prayers to Clark Logan and his family as God prepares him to be used in a new way.

Update:

Glad to see Johnny Hunt’s call for Chapman to be more forthcoming – http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/10508.article

The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

I finished reading The Hole In Our Gospel some time ago. I was unsure of the best way to review this because there is much good and bad in the book. The author Richard Stearns heads the World Vision organization which I support with my money. I understand an appreciate his goal for this organization which he pushes with this book. The cause of helping the afflicted and poor is a noble cause, and I agree with the premise of the book that Christians should be doing a better job of this. My problem is that he declares that this is a forgotten part of the Gospel. That is where the book goes terribly wrong. The Gospel is given properly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. It is about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our sins according to Scripture. The book pushes our works to the poor as part of the Gospel by using many verses taken out of context. Faith comes from the preaching of the Gospel and our works are not part of it. If the book would have kept from making the message the Gospel, it would have been a wonderful book. But with the adding to of the Gospel done, it unfortunately makes the book not recommendable.

The Noticer By Andy Andrews

The Noticer which releases tomorrow is a short book by best-selling author Andy Andrews. Not knowing much in advance about this book, my first impression was that this was an autobiographical work. Then I quickly realized this was a work of fiction that blends truth, allegory and good storytelling. The main focus of this book is perspective. It is a collection of short stories where the main character Jones challenges people to change their perspective. A cast of characters who are down on their luck and going through trying times have their lives turned around by a simple change in perspective. While I enjoyed the stories, I felt it was a little too simplistic. The book gives the impression that anyone can change their circumstances by being more positive and fun to be around. From a Christian worldview, this book had great potential to really hit some deep topics. But for a book labeled in the spiritual growth and thought category, I felt it came up short in those areas. I would consider the book more of a philosophical work. A book focused mainly on perspective does not really fall into the spiritual category. If you are looking for spiritual growth, their are far better books. If you are looking for a good short book with a positive message, then this is a book for you.

Rick Warren Fails Again

Just like Christmas, Easter provided a reason for Rick Warren to be on national media and completely blow it. First would be pastor Warren’s turn on the issue of same sex marriage. On Larry King Live he stated that he had apologized to all his gay friends for his support of Prop 8. Since when should a pastor have to apologize for simply standing for what the Bible says. That would be when you are pastor a seeker sensitive church that cares more about the approval of mere sinners than you do a holy God. When further pressed on his thoughts on the Iowa Supreme Court legalizing same sex marriage, he said he didn’t want to comment or criticize because it was not part of his agenda.  1 Peter 3:15 says: but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. Pastor Warren was not ready to give a defense because his agenda is a social gospel that doesn’t offend anyone. His agenda should be to stand on all the truths of the bible, not just the easy ones.

If that was all that happened I would not have wrote about it, but then he appeared on the Hugh Hewitt radio program. The host gives him a perfect softball question to answer a few minutes into the program. He was asked what should a person who doesn’t believe do on Holy Week weekend. Perfect opportunity to share the Gospel served up to you pastor Warren. He starts off by saying everyone needs a savior. Not a bad start pastor give more. But then he asks the question ” what is He saving me from?”. Guess what word he doesn’t use in response to the question? If you said SIN, you are correct. He said Jesus saves us from past guilt, present stress, future fears and the expectations of others. That is a big swing and a miss. If he didn’t save us from the wages of our sin, none of the other things even matter. The closet Rick came to talking about sin was to to say Jesus was a sacrifice for all the bad things done in the world.

He then gets asked who Easter Sunday is for. He answers by giving an analogy. He says that he thought strained spinach was good until he had Spaghetti O’s. He then thought Spaghetti O’s were the best until he had an In ‘N Out burger. According to Rick that is what Jesus will do for you. He says you may think you have a good life now, but Jesus will make it better. And I thought Joel Osteen was about having your best life now. I hope you are not from China or a country in the Middle East because you may die for faith in Jesus. Your like on this Earth may get drastically worse. He goes on to tell people who have not been to church, to find a church with a lot of cars in the parking lot. Because that means they are getting through to people. Let me tell you that I would rather sit in a church with 10 people and a pastor who unashamedly preaches the whole Bible, than at Saddleback where the pastor can’t even tell what Easter is all about. A full parking lot doesn’t mean sound teaching. It may mean that ears are being tickled or the pastor is preaching self help to sinners.

To say the least, I have had about enough of Rick Warren. I used to cringe when he started being called America’s pastor. Now I find it kind of fitting. He represents the sad state of the American church quite well. People don’t want to hear about sin, and he is happy not to tell them about it. I am currently praying for God to bring 1 of 2 things to the American church: revival or persecution. I pray that we can get our act together and see a revival, but I am not encouraged that will happen. If not, I hope God brings persecution on the American church. When persecution begins the positive confession, self help, seeker sensitive, social gospel crowd will quickly fall away. The parking lot will go from full to empty, because the emptyness of their words will no longer hold water. Apostacy is not an option when your freedom and life are on the line. You are in or you are out. Nominal christians will be seen as not ever really christians at all. Do we really want our churches full so bad that we would give them the world only to see them lose their soul? The scary thing about pastor Warren is that he is training thousands of pastors to be just like him. Let’s pray that pastor Warren would start seeking the approval of God first.

It Is All About The Cross

With today being Good Friday, it disturbs me to see and hear so many who miss the point of today.  I just came from a Good Friday service where the sermon focused on Jesus saying I am thirsty while on the cross. After some very fine isogesis about that statement, we were told about serving. Jesus can do nothing without the church, and this statement was Him inviting us to serve. The last time I checked that is not the reason for Good Friday. Good Friday is all about what happened on the cross. This weekend is all about the death, burial and resurrection of  Jesus. Without which there would be no forgiveness of sins. The message of the cross is a hard message, and many pastors will shy away from telling the story. Today the Gospel should be proclaimed for all to hear.

We have another church in our community playing off of Obama presidential campaign posters. They are using the posters that said Obama is hope and had his picture. They have replaced Obama’s name and photo with the name of Jesus and a traditional looking Jesus image. This is a pet peeve of mine to begin with. The use of this traditional view of Jesus has in many cases become a graven image to our society. We have no clue what Jesus looks like, but yet here is this commonly used image of our own making that makes us comfortable. That was just a side note, but my real trouble is with the Jesus is Hope message. This message sounds good on the surface, but what does it really convey. To portray Obama and Jesus in any similar way is just wrong to me. Jesus is not hope for a better economy or any of things Obama proclaimed to be. Jesus is not the one who is going to make your life better if you accept Him. Following Jesus may very well wreck your life as you know it. Jesus is our sacrifice and our propitiation. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. He took the wrath that was upon us. He is our Lord and Savior. He is our king who is coming again. Our hope is not in this world, but in the Kingdom to come.

So, why did He come? Did Jesus come to teach us a better way to live? Did He come to make the world a better place? Did He come so that those who believed in Him would have prosperity? The answer is no to all of the above. The Father sent the Son to die in our place. Because of the curse of sin, no one is righteous in the sight of God. We are all born under the curse, and subject to the wrath of God as a result. Only God Himself coming down out of Heaven could take our place. It took a perfect spotless lamb. Jesus is that lamb. He was beat beyond recognition. He was battered and bruised. His flesh was torn and His blood spilled. He was rejected by His own people. All because of you and me. We are the reason He had to come. He was placed on a Roman cross to die. On that cross the sins of the world – past, present and future – were placed on Him. Isaiah 53:10 – But the LORD was pleased  To crush Him, putting Him to grief; He was crushed on our behalf. That is what today is about. The substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross is celebrated on Good Friday.

For those who don’t know the rest of the story, don’t worry. Sunday is coming. The tomb could not hold Jesus. On Sunday Jesus arose from the dead. Proving that He was no ordinary man, He arose and walked this earth again until He returned to the right hand of the Father. As a result, we have a way (the only way) to be forgiven for our sins. We have to repent of our sinful ways, and believe that Jesus, as the Son of God did everything mentioned above. We have to believe in Him as our Lord and Savior. This is a believing that goes beyond a head knowledge. If I am in a plane, I may believe the pack beside me is a parachute. But if the engine fails, I better believe (have full faith) that the parachute is everything it is supposed to be. To believe in Christ is to have a trust that He is everything He claimed to be. And in that trust, we are willing to devote ourselves fully to Him and nothing else. As a result, our lives are noticeably changed. If you go to a church that doesn’t preach this message, find a new church that does. There is no message that is more important.

Garett Chanley

To all who have not heard yet, Garett Chanley passed away last night. Please pray for Garett’s family as they go through this tough time. To leave your thoughts and prayers with the family visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/garettchanley. This family has made God known through their battle. My earlier story on Garett is the most viewed post on this blog. Garett reached many through his struggles. Thank you Garett.

Christianity In Crisis by Hank Hanegraaff

If you are a follower of a Word of Faith teacher or prosperity preacher, read this book with caution. Christianity In Crisis: The 21st Century will make you very unhappy with your current situation. This book counters many of the false teachers  in the Word of Faith movement. This book looks at the false teachings of a huge cast of characters including:  Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn and many of the familiar faces on TBN television network. It looks at some hilarious claims such as the teaching that Adam was the first Superman, who could do such things as fly to the moon. This book also looks at more dangerous heresies including the one that Christ’s work on the cross was not enough for salvation. Hank Hanegraaf has produced a wonderful resource with this book. If you are intrigued by Christian apologetics, this is an excellent book for you. It is also a great book for any Christian whose discernment skills are not yet the greatest. Hank does an excellent job of showing readers how to discern these false teachers. He also gives straight forward ways to approach reading the Bible and doing basic apologetics work. I would recommend this book to anyone at any level of Christian maturity.